1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. HOME DEPOT SETTLES EEOC RETALIATION LAWSUIT FOR $84,750
Press Release

HOME DEPOT SETTLES EEOC RETALIATION LAWSUIT FOR $84,750

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

PRESS RELEASE
8-7-09

Evergreen Store Fired Employee for Filing Sex Discrimination Charge, Federal Agency Said

DENVER - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced that Atlanta-based Home Depot, U.S.A., Inc., will pay $84,750 and furnish other relief to settle a retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The EEOC’s lawsuit (Case No. 06-cv-01950-LTB-CBS in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado) charged that Home Depot fired an employee from its Evergreen, Colo., store in retaliation for her filing a sex discrimination charge with the EEOC in 2004. Home Depot settled that original lawsuit in that year.

In addition to the monetary settlement, the company has agreed to post its anti-discrimination policy and provide training about federal anti-discrimination laws to all supervisors and employees. The company will also make periodic reports to the EEOC.

Over a third of the charges of discrimination the EEOC received during 2008 alleged retaliation.

“Retaliation is a serious issue. We commend Home Depot, however, for working cooperatively with us to resolve this case," said Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Phoenix District. "The parties were able to work collaboratively to bring this matter to an amicable resolution that satisfied the interests of all the parties concerned."

Nancy Sienko, director of the EEOC’s Denver Field Office, said, “The EEOC takes very seriously retaliation against employees who come forward to complain about unlawful conduct and who participate in the Commission’s processes. Such misconduct undermines the EEOC’s enforcement of federal anti-discrimination laws.”

According to its web site, www.homedepot.com: "Founded in 1978, The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer and the second largest retailer in the United States. At the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008, the company operated a total of 2,274 stores, including 1,971 stores in the United States, 176 stores in Canada, and 74 stores in Mexico."

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on the agency’s web site at www.eeoc.gov.

The EEOC's Denver Field Office, located at 303 East 17th Avenue, Suite 410, in Denver, enforces the anti-discrimination laws in Colorado, and Wyoming.

This page was last modified on August 7, 2009.

Return to Home Page